What Smoothies are Good for Weight Loss? A Guide to Healthy, Low-Calorie Ingredients.

What Smoothies are Good for Weight Loss? A Guide to Healthy, Low-Calorie Ingredients.

Drink Smarter Think Smarter Want to know more about what smoothies are good for your weight loss goals? Keep reading because we have all kinds of options!

weight loss smoothies

Imagine it’s a hot summer day, and you need to have to eat something for breakfast before a long day at work. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If this sounds like you, this is an excellent article for you. Smoothies are a great solution to this problem; they are filling, yet they are a cool drink. Keep reading to learn more about which smoothies are good for weight loss! 

Who Doesn’t like a Good Smoothie?

A delicious fruity drink that can be healthy too!

Who doesn’t like a good smoothie? I don’t know about you, but smoothies sound like a delicious treat to me. Especially if it is a hot day and other things don't sound good to eat. As delicious as these drinks may be, they, unfortunately, aren’t anywhere as healthy as we wish they were. On average, smoothies tend to be between 200 and 600 calories, depending on added ingredients.

This is something that almost anyone can agree is deceiving, especially since when making a smoothie, it appears as if we are doing the right thing by drinking our fruits and vegetables. Knowing this, what can you do to make smoothies healthier so that it’s easier to lose weight and make them more nutritious to drink? As you continue reading , you will learn more about different types of low-calorie ingredients as well as what you can add to them to make them thicker and more filling.

Types of Low-Calorie Smoothie Ingredients

Are low-calorie ingredients even that good?

If you are wondering about this, you aren’t the only one. When we think of low-calorie food, a number of us tend to think of greens or low-calorie dense foods with no taste. However, just because an ingredient is low in calories doesn’t mean that it has no flavor and won’t still be pleasing in your smoothies.

So what do we mean when we use the term low-calorie in regards to the food we eat? When talking about low-calorie foods, we typically refer to foods that average around forty calories or less. This doesn't mean you should eat more food because your calorie intake is low. Instead, it means that the food you are consuming will keep you full longer. Knowing this, what are some of the different low-calorie ingredients that you can add to your smoothies? And what are  some of the different healthier ways to thicken your smoothie up and make it taste that much better? You will be able to find out more information about this as you continue reading.

healthy smoothies
Smoothies come in all different shades and colors depending on what is in them, yet this doesn’t determine their overall taste and flavor. Image courtesy of eating bind food.

Low-calorie ingredients:

  • Frozen fruit
  • Frozen riced cauliflower
  • Peanut butter powder
  • Rolled oats 
  • Plant Milk, etc.

These are just a few of the many low-calorie ingredients that many people tend to use in their smoothies. Looking at the list provided, the two components that people will use that stand out to me include rolled oats, peanut butter powder, as well as frozen riced cauliflower. Sounds bizarre to me. How about you? Let us get a little into what these three particular ingredients tend to bring to smoothies.

To begin with, let us talk about powder peanut butter; what exactly is it? It sounds like powder-flavored peanuts that, when you add water to it, act like peanut butter. In a sense, powdered peanut butter is very similar to how the baby formula is made and used.

Next, there are rolled oats. Rolled oats are typically those such as that are used to make oatmeal. They are oats that are rolled flat and have been steamed and de-husked. When you add them to your smoothies they can either cause your smoothie to be more filling or give it a little bit of a crunch if put on top. 

Finally, there is frozen riced Cauliflower. I don't know about you, but it sounds like a bizarre thing to put into your smoothies. Interestingly enough, frozen riced cauliflower has a number of benefits to it. It is great for those trying to eat healthily as well as having the benefits of providing vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Interesting right?

Next, let's get into the different things that help to make your healthier smoothie thicker:

  • Silken tofu
  • Non-fat greek yogurt
  • Kefir
gut health
It’s interesting to learn that kefir is a type of probiotic. And like all probiotics, it is cultured milk that you can add to your smoothie that is good for your health. Image courtesy of my life well-loved.
  • Chia Seeds
  • Hemp Seeds
  • Avocado
  • Dark leaf greens, etc.

All these add-ins make your smoothie healthier, and are  great things to try in your smoothie. Looking at the different ingredients that help thicken smoothies let's look at the silken tofu. What is it, and why is it good to add to your drinks?

tofu smoothie
Silken tofu is pictured here at the top of a smoothie. Although it may look like butter we promise you that it is not. Image courtesy of garlic delight.

Silken tofu is actually the most common type of tofu out there. It's similar to block tofu except instead of being made with curdling milk it is made using soy milk. Interesting right? With that knowledge let's get into why it is good to add to our smoothies. Along with helping to make our smoothies thicker, silken tofu also has low fat and carbohydrates. It also is an excellent substitute for protein for those who are vegan or vegetarian.

How Drinking Tea May Help With Weight Loss

Do you love drinking tea? Do you want to know your tea is alkaline or acidic? Many of us drink tea every day. Some people drink a couple of times a day since they believe that tea can boost alertness and keep them active throughout. You might be one of them who drink tea more than once a day. That is why you want to know tea is alkaline or not. If you’re a tea drinker, you probably already know your cup is salubrious. If your beverages are typically high-calorie, swapping in tea may lead to weight loss. There are many varieties of tea, and several of the traditional types (green, black, white, and oolong). Their unique flavors and properties are thanks to differences in processing, geographical location, and plant varieties. These differences also affect the nutritional composition of each tea, which means certain types may be better suited for weight loss than others.

Now that you know how to make your smoothies healthier, it is time to give it a try. We aren’t going to tell you what ingredients you must use; it is up to you to decide. So go out, find and experiment with different ways to create new and delicious smoothies you haven’t tried making before!